Monthly Archives: August 2014

China Rejects Philippine Proposal on South China Sea Disputes

NAYPYITAW, Myanmar—China on Saturday rejected the Philippines’ proposed freeze on perceived provocative acts that recently stirred tensions in contested Asian waters, signaling its preference to tackle South China Sea disputes with diplomatic efforts that have made little progress in the last decade.   Read more: http://online.wsj.com/articles/china-rejects-philippine-proposal-on-south-china-sea-disputes-1407574262?tesla=y

China to build lighthouses on five islands in South China Sea

BEIJING: China plans to build a lighthouse each on five islands in the disputed South China Sea after it had completed the site surveys for the construction. According to state-run China News Service today, the islands are North Reef, Antelope Reef, Drummond Island, South Sand and Pyramid Rock. Drummond Island and Pyramid Rock are located […]

China’s Epic Fail in the South China Sea

By whatever metric you choose, China’s recent oil-drilling adventure in the South China Sea was a disaster. No new oil will reach Chinese consumers, no new maritime territory has been gained and regional advantage has been handed to the United States. ASEAN solidarity has held firm and the positions of ‘pro-Beijing’ forces in crucial countries, […]

China keeps changing excuses for sea claim

Ancient Malays had crossed the Indian Ocean and the South Pacific millenniums before China started mapping its surrounding waters. With that fact, Supreme Court Senior Associate Justice Antonio T. Carpio prefaced a lecture last June at De La Salle University on China’s false historical claims over the South China Sea. “Historical Facts, Lies, and Rights” […]

Hold the Line Against Beijing

According to official tallies, Joko Widodo — popularly known by Indonesians as “Jokowi”— has emerged as the clear winner of a heated presidential election in Indonesia. But it’s uncertain how the new Indonesian leader will address pressing regional security issues — most immediately, the South China Sea’s tinderbox of maritime and territorial conflicts. As China […]